Lockdowns linked to the fight against the emerging corona virus in several Chinese cities have left millions searching for food and other basic goods, in desperation as people are kept in their homes.
About 65 million people in 33 cities across China were placed under partial or complete lockdown, as authorities doubled down on the outbreak of the Corona virus before the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China in mid-October.
Chengdu, the capital of southwestern Sichuan Province, is the city hardest hit by the lockdown. In recent months, it has also been subjected to heat waves, power outages, and then an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, killing 65 people.
The lockdown in Chengdu was initially supposed to last only seven days, but local authorities extended the restrictions indefinitely, sparking a growing sense of anxiety and despair among many citizens, according to the Guardian newspaper.
In the hours before Chengdu entered a “zero-Covid” lockdown in early September, residents flocked to their local markets, scrambling for whatever food they could get.
Huang, a 42-year-old university lecturer, was among those who sensed a closure was imminent.
While she was buying meat and vegetables, someone shouted: “Someone has been identified as having contact with an infected person. This place will be closed.” Huang left the grocer, picked up her little girl and went home as fast as she could.
“At that moment, all I could think of was running,” Huang said, considering herself lucky to have avoided the mandatory quarantine.
“I don’t know what happened to those who couldn’t get out,” she added.
Huang is concerned about her elderly parents, one of whom needs dialysis every two weeks in hospital after the city of 21 million people extended its lockdown indefinitely.
Depression
At a time when most countries of the world have ended restrictions related to combating the coronavirus, China is still applying very strict measures to combat the spread of any infection, even if limited, according to a policy known as “zero Covid.”
Another university lecturer, Li, said that even after the September 5 earthquake, the strict measures against the corona virus did not stop. Lee was also concerned about the mental health impact of frequent lockdowns on ordinary people. And she continued, “An older relative became very depressed because of his presence at home.”
While daily COVID-19 testing continues citywide, Chengdu residents in high-risk areas are confined to their homes.
The authorities allow one person from each family to go out for two hours once a day to buy necessities, provided that he obtains a negative result from the Covid examination within only 24 hours.
Even in areas where the lockdown has been lifted, residents are prevented from visiting other neighborhoods or leaving the city for non-essential reasons. People must submit a negative test result within 24 hours to enter public transportation and venues.
Meanwhile, anger and panic mount in Guiyang, the capital of Sichuan’s neighboring Guizhou Province.
After more than a week of restrictions, residents of Huaguiyuan – a closed residential neighborhood of about 500,000 people – complained bitterly that they had not been able to secure food for several days.
The sudden closure came without warning, leaving people completely stuck in their homes. With food starting to run out, many said they were feeling increasingly desperate after elevators in the towers were closed to prevent people from leaving.
On Thursday, city officials apologized for this, saying the food shortage in Huaguyuan was due to a shortage of delivery workers due to COVID restrictions.
Locals interviewed by the Guardian said they had been stranded for eight days since the lockdown was implemented without warning, and were also worried that they would run out of food.
One said, “It’s the government’s fault. I can understand the city shutdown for a short time, but no one gave us any warning they even closed the elevators and no one told us how long this would last.”
‘dirty isolation facilities’
Meanwhile, the city of Yining, located in China’s far western region of Xinjiang, celebrated the boom of Chinese tourists looking for a sunny respite from the fears of the Covid closures in their hometown.
But Yining is now living through a stressful weeks-long epidemic lockdown, with residents asking for help with limited food, difficult access to medicines and a severe shortage of sanitary pads for women.
Local authorities have ordered people in the city of 600,000 to stay indoors since early August, forcing many to rely largely on neighborhood officials to deliver supplies.
One resident who spoke to The New York Times by phone said he was given food every five days but that the nutritional value was minimal – no fruits, vegetables or meat.
He only mentioned his first name, al-Zubayr, for fear of reprisals from officials for describing the difficult circumstances.
Earlier this year, some Shanghai residents complained loudly about the lack of food and medicine after a grueling two-month citywide lockdown.
But Yining did not get the attention Shanghai did in April because it is located in Xinjiang, an ethnically divided region in which China accuses of a massive crackdown on Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities.
“I think what happened in Shanghai gets more attention because it’s a financial center and the Chinese people can protest,” said Rehan Asat, a Uighur lawyer and fellow at Yale University. And local authorities in Yining recorded only 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
One of the residents, Azad, said that for two weeks he only ate instant noodles, which caused problems in his digestive system.
Many of the women said in telephone interviews that they could not get access to sanitary pads, which makes life very difficult.
One woman, who only gave her first name, Medina, said money was not the main problem. She added that items such as feminine hygiene products and baby diapers are often unavailable at official supply stations and quickly sell out online.
Residents also complained online and in letters to the government about the filth of quarantine facilities, the chaotic enforcement of isolation orders, and the transportation of elderly people from their homes for medical observation.